Noida buyers call for fire drills in highrises

NOIDA: The Noida Extension Flat Owners Association (NEFOWA) has called for regular fire safety drills in highrise apartment buildings of the area, to ensure home owners are fully prepared to handle fire accidents .

These drills are important, the association says, as most home owners are living with their elders. "Moreover, these new highrises in Noida go up to 20 floors and most residents have never lived in such high structures before. Also, some apartments may have senior citizens. Though fire safety certification is just a formality, we are more concerned about the ground realities, should any such incident ever take place," said Indrish Gupta, co-founder of NEFOWA.

"We have been urging buyers to be particularly cautious about equipping apartments with fire safety gadgets and extinguishers. A drill at every apartment building on a regular basis is important," Gupta said.

Echoing the concern, Manoj Gaur, president of CREDAI (NCR) said though fire safety norms are being adhered to in NCR projects, fire drills remain a necessary exercise and all builders should carry them out at least once a month. "Every apartment needs an NOC from the fire department and this certificate is only renewed by the fire department after an inspection. However, every apartment building compulsorily needs to carry out fire drills at least once a month, so that people are made aware of how to evacuate a highrise in case a fire breaks out, and how to extinguish fire," he said.